"Whenever I address Israeli violence publicly I prepare for the loss of Jewish friends and for messages such as 'You will never work in Hollywood again' and 'Now I know that you hate our people, I will not employ you.' (Yes, these are actual quotes.)"

I just got this in from Gush Shalom's Adam Keller - please help to disseminate this widely - thanks a lot!

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PEACE BUS [to Gaza] CONTINUES

Friday, August 1, 9am, the Peace Bus will leave Jerusalem, carrying medicines and clothes, as well as flowers, intended for the people of Gaza. Also postcards written by Israelis and addressed to Gazans, trying to bridge the terrible abyss. En route the bus will go through Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheba and visit the Israeli communities on the Gaza border.

Please come on board to make the message of the Peace Bus stronger and to meet people living on the border of the conflict region. Presenting a message of peace in the conflict zone is of vital importance, as is maintaining touch between Israel's center and perphery - to stay together.

Collection of medicines (everyone has some new, unused medicines he or she doesn't need, which can be donated to hospitals in Gaza), money for medicines and clothes started already on Sunday. Contact vmmessage-peacebus@yahoo.com and will make an afford to come and pick up your donation. All donations will be delivered to Gaza by our activists.

Write a postcard with a message of peace for Gaza or if you are far: send the message via email. We need them by the end of the next week. We will translate all messages in English and Hebrew into Arabic.
For Thursday, July 31, 6pm, Jerusalem, is planned DEMONSTRATION at Kikar Safra, (Jerusalem Municipality Square), and decoration of the Peace Bus with flowers

We are ready to come on the 3rd Journey and deliver medicines to the people in Gaza (we start collecting the medicine and the money to buy medicines in order to provided both direct and symbolic support from Israelis to the Gazans during the humanitarian catastrophe). Let's take a one day break, collect energy and start Sunday with some ideas and actions. First things first - we need to contribute ourselves and find foundations supporting our project ...

We just got back from the town of Sderot on the Gaza border, where on our 2nd bus journey we visited families who support peaceful solution of the conflict and were inspired by conversations. We've been also on a our condolences visit to a Bedouin camp next to Dimona, where a part of a rocket fired by Hamas (after the rocket was intercepted, but some shrapnel fell down) killed a Bedouin man and wounded his children. It was a good journey and more will follow. I apologize, folks, that the web-radio broadcasting came short this time, some technical stuff we'll have to learn how to solve.

Our vision is to create the reality where Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace and dignity. We are not offering political solutions nor do all of us have a common political view. We do not have ready recipes. But what we a certain of is that we cannot continue hating, fighting, killing each other. In 66 years of war we could not achieve any permanent solution - we believe that it's time to try a different path.

On the Peace Bus we promote principles of tolerance, understanding and non-violence. People of all religions, colors, nations, genders come together in the loving attitude to see what the media is trying to hide away from us – a true face of the so called "enemy". In the eyes of an Israeli and Palestinian child you will discover innocence and remember yourself once being a child, free from prejudices and hate. In this moment we mourn for all those who perished during this unnecessary and tragic conflict: not just in the current one, but for all the innocents who lost their lives in the war of hatred.

We want to see the perspectives of both sides: suffering of Palestinians and Israelis alike. We are all human beings who happened to be raised as enemies. And this is a real tragedy. We can not live in peace as long as other side is suffering. Therefore, the PEACE IS OUR COMMON GOAL!